In the past decade, fast-growing Brunswick County has approved projects with nearly 50,000 new homes, most still being built, amid calls for a development pause and storms that have brought unprecedented flooding.
storms
Preventing Environmental Hazards Act a commonsense bill
Guest opinion by Congressman Greg Murphy: Allowing National Flood Insurance Program payouts to remove a threatened oceanfront structure before it collapses, rather than wait until it creates an environmental disaster, will add flexibility while mitigating risks.
Power outage times expected to improve in Ocracoke
Tideland Electric’s Project Ocracoke Resiliency will include installing underground electrical lines and equipment to help improve resilience against severe weather.
Doomed to repeat history: What’s in future for NC wetlands?
Guest commentary: Ignoring the past guarantees a grim future for our coastal communities, as the fishermen of Rose Bay warned decades ago. Will we listen now, or once again pay the price for failing to protect our way of life?
Weather spotters needed to help document rain, hail, snow
Home-based and amateur weather spotters in North Carolina are encouraged to join a countrywide network that documents the size, intensity, duration and patterns of rain, hail and snow.
Forecasters warn: Coastal NC folks should brace for snow
National Weather Service forecasters said Tuesday the expected snowfall accumulations could stick around for some days along the North Carolina coast, with any thawing freezing again at night.
Icy conditions
An egret hunts along the shore of an icy marsh Thursday near Pelletier Creek in Morehead City. Don’t look for a quick thaw as much of coastal North Carolina is under a winter weather advisory from 4 p.m. Friday until 10 a.m. Saturday. The forecast calls for the potential for light accumulations of ice and snow, although little to none is expected from Hatteras Island to Ocracoke Island. Photo: Dylan Ray
NCDOT to build drone program to improve disaster response
The North Carolina Department of Transportation has been awarded $1.1 million to build a drone program to be tested in Lumberton and then used in other communities.
State funding available for hurricane damage to beaches
Funding can only be used for costs associated with beach nourishment, artificial dunes and other projects to mitigate or remediate coastal storm damage to the ocean beaches and dune systems of the state.
Comments sought on proposed disaster mitigation fund
The Office of Recovery and Resiliency is accepting comments on the proposed creation of a program to help protect property owners against flood damage by paying to elevate residential structures at risk.
Groups set Cape Fear paddle for western NC Helene relief
A day of paddling on the Cape Fear River is being organized to support Hurricane Helene relief efforts in the western part of the state.
Federal funding available for damage from historic rainfall
“This storm brought historic rainfall and severe flooding to several areas of our state causing significant damage,” Gov. Roy Cooper said over the weekend about the September storm.
Brunswick County faces ‘undue burden’ amid funding shift
As western North Carolina grapples with unprecedented immediate needs after Helene, Brunswick County here on the coast is pleading for assistance to cover both its current and long-term storm recovery costs.
Segment of Highway 211 near Southport to reopen Thursday
A portion of Brunswick County’s N.C. Highway 211 is set to be reopened to vehicle traffic Thursday, ahead of schedule, officials said, after the bridge was damaged by a storm in September.
Governor declares state of emergency ahead of Helene
Eastern North Carolina is unlikely to bear the brunt of the increasingly powerful hurricane’s effects, but National Weather Service forecasters warn of strong winds, flooding and dangerous surf later this week.
Officials in flood-weary Brunswick County eye Helene
The American Red Cross Shelter in Brunswick County will remain open as residents continue to recover from last week’s unnamed storm and as county officials keep a close watch on newly formed Tropical Storm Helene.
